This invention generally relates to holders for cut photographic film, and more particularly, to a photographic film holder for use with a disposable photographic film package. The holder is provided with an arrangement for moving various components of the holder to selectively permit and prevent withdrawal of the photographic film package.
Holders for disposable film packages are known such as disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,865, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. A commercially available version of this holder was introduced by Eastman Kodak Co. in Oct. of 1988 at the Photokina Exposition in Cologne, West Germany, under the Kodak trade mark "Kodak READYLOAD Packet Film Holder". It is not known whether this Kodak READYLOAD holder constitutes prior art vis-a-vis the preferred disclosed embodiments of this present application, it being noted that the present invention was conceived and reduced to practice before Oct. of 1988. The just mentioned holders are adapted for use with disposable film packages consisting of a substantially flat film carrier to which two sheets of cut film are attached, one on each side of the carrier. The carrier is packaged in an envelope having one open end through which the carrier may be withdrawn for exposure, such as described in my above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,865. Certain of these holders can also accommodate film packages with a single sheet of film such as the packages marketed by Polaroid Corporation under the trademark Prochrome.
In use, the film packages contemplated for use with the inventive holder are to be inserted into the holder, so that the sheets of film are properly positioned in the holder for exposure in a camera. Once the film package is fully inserted into the holder, film position anchoring means are provided for anchoring the film sheets in position so that the envelope may be partly withdrawn to uncover the sheet of film to be exposed by the camera. After exposure, the envelope is returned to a light-tight sealing position in the holder. The film position anchoring means is then released and the holder's package accommodating slot is opened sufficiently so that the package, with the film once again contained in a light-tight enclosure in the envelope, may be removed for later processing. With film packages having two sheets of film according to my above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,865, the film package can be turned over and reinserted into the holder envelope insertion slot to expose the second sheet of film.
The film holder of my earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,865 is formed with a bottom portion which is positioned in a spaced relationship to a top portion so as to form a film package receiving cavity defined between the top and bottom portions of the holder. These top and bottom portions are movable transversely relative to one another between a first position, wherein the top and bottom portions are relatively more distant from one another and a second position, wherein the top and bottom portions are positioned relatively closer to one another. When the top and bottom portions are in the second position the envelope insertion slot is disposed so as to prevent the withdrawal of the film package. When the top and bottom portions are in the first position, the film package may be withdrawn through the envelope insertion slot. The top and bottom portions of this photographic film holder are spring biased toward one position and are held in the other position against the holder spring force when inserted into a spring loaded camera back. This arrangement is especially advantageous in providing a simple to construct holder which accommodates in the film packages in a simple manner, utilizing the resilient clamping forces of the generally available camera back.
The above-noted Kodak READYLOAD Packet Film Holder utilizes the features of my above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,865, with the mechanism for releasing the film package utilizing a spring loaded lever which is movable axially parallel to the envelope insertion direction. This spring loaded lever serves to control the film anchoring device to hold the film in position while the envelope is moved to accommodate exposure and to control the opening of the package insertion slot by moving a bottom portion in the form of a film backing plate to thereby permit or prevent withdrawal of the film package from the film holder.
Both of these arrangements utilize spring force to bias the film holder parts toward an end position controlling withdrawal of the film package from the holder. This spring force also controls the operation of the film anchoring operation in dependance on the relative position of the spring biased parts.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder which may be manufactured in an economical manner and which will provide for a simple positive control of the respective positions of the holder parts for accommodating film anchoring and exposure with partial withdrawal of the envelope and for accommodating insertion and withdrawal of the film package.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved holder which can interchangeably accommodate the different film packages being used commercially, including the Polaroid Prochrome packages and the Eastman Kodak READYLOAD packages.
In accordance with certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a photographic film holder of the above noted type which includes a positive control mechanism whereby the film package can be readily and reliably inserted, anchored for exposure, and reclosed and withdrawn in a light-tight condition. In especially preferred embodiments a cam guide connection is provided for positively controlling the relative movement of the holder parts defining the film anchoring structure and defining the film package insertion and withdrawal slot. Especially preferred embodiments utilize a rotatable manually operable handle which can be easily and reliably controlled by the photographer with minimal training and effort. According to especially preferred embodiments, there are no biasing means tending to bias the holder to a specific condition, when the photographer is not acting to intentionally move or control the holder, thus the holder remains in its set position when released by the photographer. This feature gives the photographer complete freedom to sequentially set the holder to a desired condition and then manipulate the film package with both hands being free for such manipulation and other tasks.
In accordance with certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the holder top portion comprises an enclosure cover having at least one downwardly depending side wall including a camming slot, and the bottom portion comprises a film support surface plate having at least one pin extending beyond an edge thereof, which is slidable relative to the film support surface between first and second pin positions in the camming slot. The position change or holder control unit comprises the film support surface plate being nested in the enclosure cover with the slidable pin engaging the camming slot so that when the pin is moved to the first position in the camming slot, the enclosure cover and film support surface plate are moved relatively more distant from one another and when the pin is moved to the second position in the camming slot, the enclosure cover and film support surface plate are moved relatively closer to one another due to the action of the pin in the camming slot. This pin and camming slot connection provides for a reliable positive control of the position of the holder parts by means of a single rotary manual knob or lever. Since the holder parts are positively held by friction in the adjusted positions, biasing springs such as used in other holders discussed above are dispensed with.
Since the film package accommodating cavity dimensions are positively controlled and the holder parts defining same are maintained in respective adjusted set positions, the holders of the invention can readily adapt to film packages of slightly different thicknesses and can be manipulated to an open position which effectively frees the entire film package. Thus the withdrawal of the package can be accomplished in a simple matter while minimizing any snagging of the package parts on the holder during insertion or withdrawal. In especially preferred embodiments the holder parts are movable to an open position which opens the package accommodating slot to a size of between 102% to 125% of a nominal predetermined design maximal film package thickness. This assures an essentially totally free space for the film package to be withdrawn from the holder by pulling the same out of the holder slot in a direction parallel to the plane of the film package.
In especially preferred embodiments of the holder, only minimally short guide springs are needed for guiding the envelope anchoring, closure and retention protrusions past the slot opening during package withdrawal.
In certain preferred embodiments the film support surface plate is fixed to a bottom part of the holder such that the movement of the film support plate is accompanied by a corresponding change in the outside dimension of the holder. In other contemplated arrangements the outside dimensions of the holder are fixed and the film support surface plate is movably disposed in the holder and defines one side of the film package support cavity.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.